[blParent] finding textbook resources

[dawn stumpner]

Hi
     I have once again run into difficulties finding material in 
braille for what I would think would be a popular subject: a 
Spanish textbook.  I have been teaching my teenage son Spanish, 
and although I speak Spanish well, I am at a point where I feel 
like a textbook with organized grammar points and vocabulary 
topics would be very useful.  I contacted my NLS library, which 
is currently in Utah, but they had only one textbook, which I 
tried but which was more of a long list of grammatical features 
than a set of lessons.  They did say that another textbook, also 
decades old, might be available through inter-library loan, so I 
thought that would be a good start and waited to receive it that 
way.  When I hadn't heard anything for a couple of weeks, I asked 
if I could contact the agency from which it was coming.  They 
said library patrons could not do that, and that the NLS library 
could, but that they'd prefer to wait a few more weeks before 
contacting them and that it likely was not available and there 
were no other titles.
     I asked them whether it might be possible to borrow books 
through an inter-library loan or any other way from another 
state's NLS library as I think some states such as California, 
Texas, Arizona, etc.  which have many Spanish speakers would be a 
good resource to find a textbook.  I also asked if there is a 
repository somewhere that might have braille books that have been 
produced for blind high school and college students and that can 
lend them out or make them available somehow as it would seem odd 
for such a valuable resource of books to just be destroyed or put 
into indefinite storage.  They didn't respond to either of those 
two questions in the email, but just responded that if I had the 
title of a specific book, I could request it.
     I know there are some resources in recorded format, but I 
need braille textbooks to see spelling, accents, etc.
     This is not the first time I have run into difficulty 
finding braille books on seemingly popular topics such as workout 
routines, health issues, popular fantasy authors, etc.  It's also 
common that I ask two or three related questions and have all but 
one question ignored.  I am always very polite in my requests, 
but they don't even sign their names in their emails, so it's 
hard to know from one time to the next if I'm even talking to the 
same person.
     Does anyone know if there is a repository (or repositories) 
of books high school and college students have had brailled and 
then not taken afterward? What happens to them? Do you know if 
you can borrow books from other states in or out of the NLS 
system? Also, do you know if it is possible to request to belong 
to a different NLS library? My recorded books come from 
Milwaukee, and I used to get my braille books from Chicago, which 
worked out very well as I am in Wisconsin.  Then several years 
ago, I was switched to Utah for my braille books, which is much 
farther away and has not been as pleasant of an experience.  Has 
anyone else had these kinds of difficulties?
     I would appreciate any suggestions.
     Thanks a lot!
               Dawn Stumpner